


Fireworks

by kingkoblih



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: M/M, New Year's Eve, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 20:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13279089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingkoblih/pseuds/kingkoblih
Summary: It's the New Year's Eve and Michele is not handling it as well as he'd like to in a cabin full of drunk friends. Neither is Emil's dog. It's time to save them both from the loud, noisy celebrations.





	Fireworks

“No way!”

“Well… Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Emil waved and closed the door behind himself.

It was the New Year’s Eve, the time of the year Michele hated the most. He was okay with the parties and the drinking and the singing, he could stand all that. It was the fireworks he hated. He got goosebumps just thinking about it. The loud noise, the bright light… He couldn’t understand how everyone around him could think it was beautiful. Heck, they even went outside to watch it and they laughed, as if there was _anything_ _enjoyable_ about it!

He sighed.

After taking a deep breath, he quickly put on his shoes and grabbed his warm winter jacket and a hat. He didn’t even bother to tell his sister where he was going, Sara was having the time of her life with Chris and Viktor and JJ and, well, everyone. He himself would gladly do the same, if it wasn’t for those goddamn fireworks… He wrapped a thick, woollen scarf around his neck, making sure to cover half his face, too, and he ran outside.

He’d never think he’d end up on such a beautiful place for the New Year’s celebrations. Sure, they all should’ve been training more than ever, it was before the Olympics, after all, but wasn’t this time of year about getting together and having fun? It was nice to forget about the competition for a few days and slow down. Sure, most of them still went for the morning and the evening jog and the cabin they hired was fairly close to an ice rink where they practised, but being away from your coach’s angry voice and judging eyes was always a plus. He didn’t even know who came up with the idea. All he knew was that him, Sara, Mila, Georgi, Viktor, Yuuri, Chris and Emil would meet up in Iceland and have some fun time. Soon after setting the date and buying the flight tickets, JJ and Isabella decided to join them. They had fun, played games, chilled, babbled about their favourite TV shows and let Isabella spoil them with her cooking, since she was the only one not busy with practice (not that she didn’t go for the evening jog with them!).

But this was something not even the good company could make better for him. He just didn’t want to be near the flashing lights and the smell of gunpowder or whatever it was throwing the colourful lights up in the sky. He sighed once more and sped up, walking in Emil’s footprints in the snow. He noticed the pawprints next to them and smiled.

The reason Emil left was very similar to his. He couldn’t leave Bětka home alone, and so he took her on her first big international adventure. Bětka, or Bětulka, as Emil often called her, was an Irish setter, a majestic, beautiful dog everyone in the cabin fell in love with. And she sure enjoyed all the attention she was given. Emil had her dressed in a funny green sweater that his grandma knitted for her and she became the mascot of the upcoming Year of the Dog for everyone. But, as loving and adaptive she was, she still couldn’t stand loud noises very well. Whenever Viktor and Chris got drunk and started singing and shouting too loud, Bětulka was curled up in Emil’s arms on the sofa and refused to move. No wonder Emil decided to take her away from all the rumble that night.

He followed the footprints for good twenty minutes before he finally found what he was looking for. Steamy fog was covering a small clearing in the woods their cabin was situated in. In the middle of the snow, there was a hot spring, just enough for about five people to fit in comfortably. All of them had planned to go there before, but they never really found the time. Emil’s large backpack was laying next to the edge that he probably cleared off of snow so that getting out would be easier.

“Emil?!” he shouted. Before his eyes got even used to the sight before him, Bětka was already at his feet, rubbing her head on Michele’s hand to get the well deserved rub. He smiled and kneeled down, rubbing the dog behind her ears with both hands, asking “Where’s your dad, sweetie?” in a soft voice. It was so weird seeing her without her lovely sweater on, especially in such cold weather.

“Dad’s here!” Emil shouted with a laugh as his head emerged from the water. “Did you come join us after all?”

“I, uh… No. I mean, yeah. I mean… I don’t know…” Michele was suddenly at a loss of words. He never had a problem with Emil, they were friends, it was just… Whenever they were alone, just the two of them, Michele started feeling weird. Not bad weird. Not good weird either, probably? He just felt strange and it pissed him off that Emil was absolutely fine.

Splash!

Without a warning, Bětka jumped in the hot spring, splashing the water all around. Emil laughed and talked to the extremely happy dog in Czech. There was something magical on the sight. Michele had seen Viktor and Yuuri together, he knew their love was unconditional and everlasting and blah blah blah, but Emil… There was just something about his look that made him believe he genuinely loved everyone his eyes laid on. And especially Bětulka. It was a little sad that Emil didn’t have anyone loving him back as much as his dog, but, then again… It was Emil. He was happy for the dog. He was happy for people just patting his back, even if it was ironical. He was always happy for everyone and everything. Another thing that pissed Michele off.

He shuddered. Lost in his thoughts, he forgot how cold it was outside for a second.

“Hey, grumpy pants, are you going to join us or what?” Emil suddenly asked. His accent was showing more than usually. Michele had noticed that it happened whenever he talked to Bětka in Czech first. It was adorabl-

He quickly shook his head and realized what he saw.

“Ew, you’re _bathing_ with the dog!”

“Oh, come on, she is a clean girl. Besides, I can’t just leave her freeze in the snow!” Emil pouted playfully. “So are you joining us or not? I mean, you can head back to the cabin, but I don’t think you’ll enjoy the midnight very much, won’t you?”

That little bastard, he knew… Michele felt like throwing a giant snow ball right into Emil’s face, but he had to admit, he was right. Sigh.

“Well… Fine, okay… I’ll just go back and get my swim shorts-“

“Oh no no no no. First of all, who goes into a natural hot spring in swim shorts?” Emil shook his head laughing. “And, besides, once you’d get inside, you’d change your mind and barricade yourself in your bedroom instead of coming back. So hop in, don’t make us wait!”

“That’s not tr- Wait, you’re not wearing swim shorts?” Michele’s heart suddenly stopped.

Emil didn’t answer.

“What are you wearing then?”

Emil remained silent.

“Oh my god!”

Emil grinned as Michele’s face turned bright red.

“No way I’m getting in there!”

“You’re acting as if I was a sex offender of some kind!” Emil laughed.

“Well, you always…. You always _look_ at me!” Michele spit out angrily, he was clearly failing at reasoning. Again.

“All I’m saying is that I have a towel here for all three of us and you could use some time out,” Emil shrugged, clearly entertained by Michele’s reaction.

At the same time, a loud bang filled the woods and Michele jumped up with a muffled shriek. He looked in Emil’s eyes. Dang it, he hated that smug face of his. Well… Fine.

He dug his eyes into the snowy ground, walked closer to the little pond of hot, steaming water, and started taking his clothes off. He was surprised Emil turned his back to him and proceeded to give attention to his very needy dog. Michele expected him to be staring at him the whole time. Not that there was much to look at, the cold was so bad it took Michele only a few seconds to throw all the clothes away and he gladly submerged his freezing body into the hot water. Emil smiled and helped Bětulka out of the water to play in the snow for a few minutes as he was worried she would overheat.

“So? Feeling well?” he asked, looking at Michele. The “I win” face was already gone and he was giving Michele the true loving look again. Dang it.

“Yeah…” Michele muttered, sliding down in the water to the point where only his head from nose up was visible.

They sat in the silence for god knows how long. None of them had a watch, time stopped existing exactly the second Michele landed his foot in the water. Bětka was running around one minute and jumping in to join them the other. There was silence and Michele had to admit he felt inner peace he hadn’t felt in years.

They were looking up at the sky, in the nature not kissed by the light smog of the cities they lived in. They let the cold breeze kiss their cheeks and noses and let the wind be the only sound coming to their ears along with happy trotting of Bětka’s paws in the snow. He could hear Emil’s calm breath.

As another muffled sound of a firework cut through the silence, Michele slightly jumped up. He took the chance that was given to him. If there was a time to do so, it was now. His hand emerged from the water and reached out to Emil’s, casually resting on the edge of the pond. Michele intertwined their fingers together without a word. Emil didn’t even look his way, but his fingers wrapped around Michele’s tightly and Michele knew Emil was there for him. Maybe Michele didn’t really need him now. But he suddenly knew. There will be time he will need a help of a kind, loving person. And Emil will be there with his heartwarming smile and ever-so-kind words. And with the look telling Michele he is loved.

“You’re smiling,” Emil pointed out. It wasn’t his usual teasing voice. What Michele heard in the sentence was something more. “I’m glad you are smiling,” was probably what he imagined Emil saying. He finally looked back at his Czech friend. And he didn’t bark back this time.

“Yeah, I am,” he said simply.

 


End file.
